Alpha is a village in Mastodon Township, Iron County of the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The population was 126 at the 2020 census. Alpha is the only village of Iron County.

History

The Alpha post office opened with the name ''Mastodon'' on October 1, 1883, and was discontinued on December 20, 1888. The office was reestablished as Alpha on December 15, 1913. The community incorporated as a village in 1914.Iron County Heritage Trail: http://www.ironheritage.org/?page_id=33 (last accessed November 4, 2017)

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 145 people, 85 households, and 34 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 122 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 100.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

. There were 85 households, of which 14.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 60.0% were non-families. 51.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.71 and the average family size was 2.53. The median age in the village was 56.5 years. 13.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.6% were from 25 to 44; 38.6% were from 45 to 64; and 28.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 198 people, 89 households, and 50 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 118 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.49%

, and 0.51% from two or more races. 23.4% were of Finnish, 18.5%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 17.4% Polish, 12.5%

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and 7.6% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 89 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 3.00. In the village, the age distribution of the population shows 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $21,750, and the median income for a family was $27,917. Males had a median income of $20,750 versus $23,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $12,084. About 7.0% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 5.4% of those 65 or over.

References